12 November 2004	Friday	28 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Nov 11: Yet another man was shot dead and three others were wounded in renewed violence in Shah Faisal Colony on Thursday, bringing the death toll in the three-day disturbances in the area to five.

Violence broke out again when a funeral caravan came under attack while it was returning from a graveyard.

The fresh spate of violence had started on Tuesday night with a quarrel between two youths on some petty matter at Allahwali mosque located in Shah Faisal Colony No. 5. The ensuing clash between their supporters had left two activists of Sunni Tehrik and a passerby dead. Another four people were injured.

On Wednesday, a youth identified as Rameez died in firing while in street violence that broke out after the clash several vehicles, a shop and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's unit office in the area were set afire. The MQM has claimed that Rameez was nephew of one of its workers, Anees Ahmed. Three other people were injured in the violence.

The newly-posted DIG Operations, Mushtaq Shah, who came from Hyderabad, claimed that 30-35 people from the ST and MQM had been picked up for investigation into the killings, arson, shooting and breach of peace. However, he did not give a break-up of the figure showing party affiliation of the detained people.

Giving details of Thursday's incident, the DIG said that a funeral motorcade was returning to the locality after burial of Khalid, one of the victims of Tuesday's violence, in the Azeempura graveyard. One of the vehicles in the motorcade was attacked with fire arms near Al-Mustafa Street, he said, adding that as a result, a passerby sustained fatal injuries. Three ST activists were wounded in the shooting.

He said that raids were conducted to arrest lawbreakers and those responsible for the law and order situation.

While a senior police official claimed that the situation had been brought under control, many residents of the area pointed out that their locality was under immense tension. They said that youths holding arms in their hands were moving freely in the troubled area. They lamented that police had totally failed in ensuring safety and security of people and restore peace in the area.

Meanwhile, The MQM coordination committee has condemned killing of innocent people in Shah Faisal Colony and attempts by some criminal elements to disturb peace in the locality.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the committee maintained that though it was a personal dispute, these elements were trying to give it the political colour. It also condemned attacks on the MQM unit office and houses of its workers. It expressed grief over the death of Rameez and offered condolences to the family.

The committee urged people to remain calm and peaceful to foil the attempts aimed at destroying peace in the area.

It appealed to the governor and chief minister that culprits be arrested and given exemplary punishment.

Shah Faisal Colony continued to be in the grip of tension on Thursday. Markets and shops remained closed and public transport thin.

Residents of the area pointed out that armed youths were seen travelling in some vehicles that were part of the funeral processions of both Kamran and Rameez.

Some of the people also observed that police did not provide security to the participants of the funeral procession that came under attack on Thursday. They accused the police of fomenting bitterness between the two sides by siding with the one in the Sindh coalition.